About This Masters Degree

Course Description

Over the last three decades, political economy has been one of the fastest growing approaches in the social sciences. At Essex, we are primarily interested in the scientific study of political institutions and how they might determine economic variables.

If you are interested in how institutions shape the behaviour of political actors and how political decisions influence markets and vice versa, then you will profit from our course.

You will have a great deal of choice for your optional modules as they will be selected from both our Department of Government and Department of Economics. Our MSc Political Economy covers all aspects of modern political economy, including: -Market failure -Environmental policies -The quality of governance -Monetary policy choices

Our Department of Government is one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. We are rated top in the UK for research (REF 2014), and have consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began.

Our Department of Economics is also consistently rated highly for student satisfaction, and is Top 5 in the UK for research with over 90% rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014).

Our expert staff

Study and work alongside some of the most prominent economists and political scientists of our time.

Our researchers are at the forefront of their field and have even received MBEs; they are advising the CIA on counter-terrorism, training politicians and civil servants in democratising countries, and commentating on political events in national and international media.

Many of our economic researchers also provide consultancy services to businesses in London and other major financial centres, helping us to develop research for today's society as well as informing our teaching for the future.

Our key academic staff for this course are Dr Alejandro Quiroz Flores, who works on why authoritarian leaders welcome natural disasters, and Simone Dietrich, who works on who gives, receives, and benefits from aid.

You join an active and prolific research team, with the opportunity to work alongside a member of staff on their research instead of completing a dissertation; some of these projects have even resulted in joint staff/student publications.

Specialist facilities

-Laboratories of networked computers featuring extensive software for political and quantitative analysis -ESSEXLab provides opportunities for experimental lab research -Student societies for politics, economics, debating, and Model UN -We organise the Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis -A programme of seminars and events run by the department

Your future

All Essex politics graduates have the distinction of a qualification from one of the world’s leading politics departments.

This course is a good choice if you wish to maintain the flexibility of pursuing a career at an international organisation, a government organisation, a private enterprise or as a political consultant. You will develop key employability skills including analytical reasoning, research, problem solving, and essay-writing.

Recent graduates have gone on to work for the following high-profile organisations: -The Civil Service -Local government -The World Bank -The United Nations -NATO -YouGov and YouGov America

We also offer supervision for PhD and MPhil in the following fields: government; ideology and discourse analysis; international relations; political behaviour; and politics.

Our academic reputation is illustrated by the fact that many of our graduates now teach or research at universities, colleges of higher education and schools. For example, recent graduates are now research fellows and academic staff at: Mannheim, Germany; ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Duke University, USA; NATO/SHAPE, Belgium; and University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

We also work with the university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

All Available Videos:

Adam Wright

“After I completed my BA within the Department of Government at Essex, I decided that I wanted to stay in higher education and work towards a PhD. From my experience of Essex as an undergraduate, I felt that I simply could not get a better education anywhere else, so there was no reason to move. I really wanted to remain part of the intellectually stimulating atmosphere at Essex. The Department has always had a uniquely friendly ethos where students are treated as real people with real opinions.

I am currently in my first year of PhD research, studying political discourse in education. After my PhD proposal had been accepted by the Department, I felt the best Masters programme to get me ready for my research was MA Ideology and Discourse Analysis. It provided me with the theoretical and methodological tools I needed for political research and has allowed me to excel in critical modes of thinking. In particular, the type of challenging poststructuralist and post-Marxist political theory I have studied has been incredibly interesting and really helped me to progress as a theorist and as a researcher.

One thing I have cherished over the last five years has been the ability to meet new people. The fact that Essex has such a high proportion of international students has meant that I now have a network of friends from over 30 countries, spanning five continents. It has been remarkable mixing with people from other cultures. I feel I have learned as much from this social aspect of the University life as I have from the academic.

After completing my PhD here at Essex I will be looking to continue my academic research into education policy and hopefully make a real impact on the way our schools are run.”

(Student Profile)

Nazli Sila Cesur

"I wanted undertake my postgraduate study at Essex as I knew the Department of Government was one of the best in the UK. I was then really pleased with my MA Political Theory, so decided I wanted to stay here for my PhD.

I am really enjoying being a research student at the University. By that, I mean I have been given the opportunity to choose my own topic for my PhD and am able to lead my own research; I’ve found the experience of taking a huge responsibility for my own self and my success very exciting. I also like attending the research seminars offered by my Department, as I find it a great way to meet others and exchange ideas.

The Colchester Campus is quite compact, which I think is advantageous for students as you have everything you need like a post office, library and banks on site, and can easily meet up with your friends. The University is also close to London, which makes day trips to the capital possible.

After completing my PhD, I would like to have a career in academia and am particularly keen to stay in the UK. Having studied at the UK’s top department for politics will certainly help my future plans."

ESRC Doctoral Training Centre scholarships
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16 Awards

For 2011-12, our ESRC Doctoral Training Centre will offer 16-fully funded ESRC studentships, most worth £18,000 per year, across over 20 doctoral pathways. The University of Essex has become one of only 21 Doctoral Training Centres accredited by the UK Economic and Social Research Council following a highly competitive selection process. Our Doctoral Training Centre will fund 16 doctoral students each year across many different social science disciplines. It also offers excellent training opportunities and a highly stimulating research environment to hundreds of postgraduate students, researchers, professionals, practitioners and users.

Value of Scholarship(s)

Up to £18,000

Eligibility

We encourage applications from top students seeking to research over a range of social science areas, including: criminology and socio-legal research; economic and social research; economics and econometrics; environmental governance; finance; health and organisational research; human rights; language and linguistics; management and accounting; politics and international relations; political economy; psychoanalytic studies; sociology and social change.

Further Information

Entry Requirements

A degree with an overall high 2:2. We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Email [email protected] for further details about the qualifications we accept. Include information in your email about the undergraduate qualification you have already completed or are currently taking.

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